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Congress has been talking about immigration a lot in the past week.
Senators and Representatives take advantage of debate on all manner of bills to throw in their comments on immigration.
President Clinton and most Democrats support the "Latino
and Immigrant Fairness Act." Many Republicans favor the Legal Immigration Families Equity Act arguing that it helps unite families
with the new V visa category, but does not reward people who have violated the law by entering or staying in the United States
illegally. It is easy for Congress and the President to talk about the grand principles behind their proposals. What they are not talking
about are people. How do you explain the principle behind removal to a young bride who is separated from her husband because she entered the country
with her parents at an age when she had no choice? How do you explain the principle behind removal to a man who has worked
and provided for his family for years, paying taxes and putting his children through college, but who once committed a crime for
which he has served the time? While all immigrants share certain characteristics, each story is unique. Share you story on the
Immigrant's Diary page.

Longer Sentence for Aggravated Felony
In US v. Dabeit,
No. 00-10065 (5th Cir. Oct. 30, 2000), the court found that where the
Defendant pled guilty to being found in the US after having been deported, the
government met its burden of proof for an increase in the sentence based on having
been deported following a conviction for an aggravated felony when it introduced a
Pre-sentence Investigation Report and Defendant's factual resume which stipulated
that he had previously been convicted of an aggravated felony.

Rep.
Owens Pleads for Action on Immigration Issues
Rep. Owens states that the House should remain in session in order to "get a Latino
and other immigrant fairness bill, a bill which includes amnesty, a 245(i) adjustment
and a blanketing of the categories of Central Americans, Liberians and Haitians,
who have been left out there with a questionable status."

House Debates
Immigration Issues
During debate in the House over joint resolutions to make further continuing
appropriations for fiscal year 2001 for a period of 1 day, Reps. Rohrabacher,
Jackson-Lee, Bonior, Traficant, Berry, Thomas, DeGette and Linder add their comments on the immigration issues.

Visa Waiver Program Becomes Permanent
President Clinton has signed the "Visa
Waiver Permanent Program Act" which makes permanent the pilot program that for the past twelve
years has permitted nationals of many countries to enter the US for business and tourism without the
necessity of first obtaining a visa. The bill also extends the EB-5 pilot program for
another three years, and clarifies when an amended H-1B petition needs to be filed in a corporate restructuring situation.

Chipping
Away at Statue's Myths
According to the New York Times, scholars say that the Statue of Liberty was originally
intended to be an anti-monarchy, antislavery symbol. Immigrants, and the Lazarus
poem, were not popularly connected with the statue until the 20th century.

INS Starts Deporting Illegals in DUI Cases
The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports that the INS in Atlanta has started deportation
proceedings against 64 illegal immigrants caught driving drunk. The INS began the deportations
after an illegal immigrant from Mexico was charged with driving drunk and crashing into a car,
killing three teens.

Canadian Immigration Law Chat
Attorney Catherine Kerr will answer questions on Canadian immigration law on
Wednesday, November 1, 2000, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern (New York) time. Questions will be accepted
starting 15 minutes before the start of the chat.